Substitute John Brooks' late header helped the United States exact World Cup revenge on Ghana with a 2-1 win in Group G. Ghana were looking to complete a hat-trick of World Cup wins over the Stars and Stripes, having beaten them 2-1 in both Germany and South Africa. It had looked set to end in a draw after Clint Dempsey's early strike was cancelled out by Andre Ayew, only for half-time replacement Brooks to head home in the 86th minute to secure Jurgen Klinsmann's side three points in Natal. A month's worth of rain had fallen in the city in the days leading up to the Group G encounter but the match went ahead at Estadio das Dunas, which witnessed the opening goal after just 29 seconds as Seattle Sounders midfielder Dempsey showed neat footwork before slotting home. Jozy Altidore left the field on a stretcher with a hamstring strain after wasting a great chance to double the USA's advantage, before they then lost Matt Besler to a hamstring complaint.
Those changes looked to disrupt the Americans, whose goal was peppered throughout a one-sided second half and it was no surprise when Asamoah Gyan and Andre Ayew linked-up for a classy leveller in the 82nd minute. However, four minutes later Besler's replacement Brooks was left unmarked and the defender duly headed home a Graham Zusi cross to secure victory. It was a frenetic match which started with Dempsey netting the fifth fastest goal in the tournament's history.
